Needless to say these ramblings are personal reflections and do not in any way represent official policy of the Fédération Protestante de France, my employer, nor of the churches I'm a minister of, the United Reformed Church and the Eglise Réformée de France.

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Saturday, 2 June 2012

Sermon for the funeral of Gertrude Anna Stranz
preached on Maundy Thursday April 5th 2012, at St Oswald's Church Croxley Green, just a day before Gertie's 90th birthday. She had spent the last decade of her life in bed and in a lot of pain in a care home.

As I left Paris last night, I slipped a book into my bag by quite a famous art historian, writer and poet called John Berger. The title reads “Hold everything dear” and I just thought, yes that seems right, the subtitle reads – “dispatches on survival and resistance”. That seemed right too.

In the beginning was the Word and the Word was love

Back in the old days in Berlin there were three of them, cousins the same age. Gertie the oldest, her brother Walter the youngest, and in between Greta their cousin. In the trams they got odd looks because together they spoke a strange language, German spoken backwards, a secret tongue only they knew the special grammatical rules to. Then tragically one day Greta an only child fell ill and died within 36 hours. Her parents emigrated to London and her mother Tante Helene moved heaven and earth to make sure the rest of the family, got visas for the UK. Sitting in Sir Stafford Cripps office and insisting he being a lawyer sign the papers for her brother who was also a lawyer.

Ten years ago when we cleared out 49 Frankland Road we found photo albums about Greta and her life which her parents had made – a rose bud on the cover and the inscription “Auch die Knospe ist vollendetes Leben” - Even the bud is life in its fullness, even the bud is life in wholeness.

Without the death of that much loved only daughter perhaps Gertie would not have found herself 73 years ago eating oysters for the very first time on her birthday as the family sailed into exile and in the end safety. My grandfather decided to buy a first class cruise into exile as they were only allowed to take the equivalent of 37 pence each with them.

A dispatch on survival and resistance made from fate and feistiness.

Family history recounts that within less than a year Walter and Gertie were not only speaking fluent English but speaking fluent English backwards …

In the beginning was the Word and Word was faith

Keukchilein, Ta, Gertie was a person of great faithfulness, which could sometimes be expressed in terms of stubbornness and even seemingly wanting to refuse change at times – woe betide the BBC if they changed the times of a favourite radio or TV programme.

She was faithful in her belief in educationKnowing that learning could be fun but also challenging – just like the teaching she loved so much and faithfully gave her life toShe was faithful in remembering birthdays faultlessly – right down to Stephen’s just three days before she diedFaithful in friendship and in familyalways carefully asking “and how are you” with that shrewd look in her eyes waiting for an answerand coping for the most part admirably when her beloved niece and nephew were rather more slipshod in replying or rememberingfaithful too to a vision of society, which embodies in its statutes care for the most vulnerable, equal access as the way to forge excellencefaithful too in generosity, not just of money but of time, of letters and thoughtsfaithful to her faith in God

In the beginning was the Word and the Word was hopeThere is a crazy, wonderful and essential hope amongst all of us We can make a differenceMillions and even billions of human beings doing small thingsSaving stamps, selling garden produce, keeping records – I don’t think even now that I have tasted more delicious cucumbers than the ones I ate as a child from Gert’s greenhouseForging new friendships at the swimming club in your 70sCampaigning and collecting moneyMotivated perhaps by the knowledge that it was other peoples’ gratuitous charity that saved your own lifeBehind all this a sense that, good as this world may be, to continue making it a better and hopeful place needs our commitment and creativity now.

In the beginning was the WordAnd just before the endHe stripped off his clothes and wrapped in a towel, washed his disciples feetAn extraordinarily intimate, gentle, caring, political, sensual act“I have done this for youWill you go on doing it for one another?Can you follow?”

And he knows what is likely to happen, this is not a story with a happy endBut if they follow his example it might just be …

One disciple will use his freshly washed feet to walk the path of betrayal, selling out his master for some pieces of silverThe others will try, imperfectly, to followThey will try to hold dear to the vision, the message, the masterTo hold dear to hope, faith and love

We too wonder, can we follow, can we take up the towel and the bowl?

The three cousins who played together and formed such a strong bond back in the old days in Berlin are now finally reunited. Of course whatever language they may speak together now, even backwards, the angels will probably understand.

Of their child who died far too young my great aunt and uncle said “even the bud is fulfilled life”

Of our aunt who has died, perhaps many years later than she herself would have wishedI would like to say “the rosehip too, even the whithered rosehip is fulfilled and good and meaningful life”

We are called not to have perfect lives but to follow the path of the foot washer in intimacy, in faith, in hope, holding dear to the towel and the bowl, daring to believe in resurrection

All of our lives are dispatches on survival and resistanceLet us learn to hold one another and all creation dear

In the beginning was the Word and the Word was God and the Word was love.

Let us pray in words written for Maundy Thursday by former archbishop Michael Ramsey

Jesus Lord and Master who served your disciples in washing their feet: serve us daily in washing our motives, our ambitions our actions; that we may share with you in your mission to the world and serve others gladly for your sake; to whom be glory for ever. Amen

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About Me

Jane

My name is Jane Stranz. I was born and brought up in Britain and am an ordained minister of the United Reformed Church, a small non-conformist church. For over 10 years I worked as a parish minister in the Eglise Réformée de France in Dunkerque, Chambéry and Ferney-Voltaire. Fom July 2002 to October 2011 I led the language service of the World Council of Churches in Geneva. Currently I'm working on a two year mission on ecumenical relations, inter-religious dialogue and inter-cultural ministry with the Fédération Protestante de France based in Paris. It's going to be exciting and a steep learning curve. I'm married to Stephen Brown a journalist, researcher and theologian who works at Gobethics.net. Over the next two years we'll see how we manage a commuting marriage between Paris and Ferney Voltaire. Since 1999 I've been living with multiple sclerosis, sounds rather noble but really means I just live in denial and inject interferon b three times a week and count myself very lucky to live in a country with a great health care system.